


When I Walked With You Before

by Klance_Convert



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1920s, Alternate Universe - Elizabethan Era, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Regency, American Civil War, Cheesy Song Lyrics, Fluff, Love Poems, M/M, Mild Angst, Reincarnation, Soul Mate AU, Weddings, it's them with different names and bodies, this is tooth rotting fluff I'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 09:22:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13210758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Klance_Convert/pseuds/Klance_Convert
Summary: Souls are tied together all the way from the creation of the universe. While these souls can be separated for long periods of time, they always find their way back to each other.Based offthis tumblr postthat gave a scientific explanation of soulmates.





	When I Walked With You Before

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is my Voltron Secret Santa piece for lyrikin, sorry it took so long! It's super cheesy and full of holes, but I wanted to get it out to you, hopefully you'll like it. 
> 
> A couple of disclaimers, this is very, VERY loosely based on history, and is not supposed to be historically accurate. There is a segment on the Civil War with Lance and Keith on opposing sides. I in no way condone racism in any form and tried to emphasize that in the way I wrote that bit. I mean absolutely no disrespect. Again, this not meant to be historically accurate.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

_Heart beats fast, colours and promises_

 

The beginning of the universe started first as nothing. Not silence, but rather the absence of sound. Not darkness, but rather the absence of light. Then suddenly, unexplained by science or religion, there were those things, and with them the creation of heat, and stars, and the elements that build our galaxies. Oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, and many others besides, that had never before existed, suddenly did. Matter was everything, where nothing had been before.

Some of the matter had formed together, connected by invisible bonds linking it to each other. These bonds, whether scientific or spiritual, joined these elements together. These forms became part of the stars and planets. But other forces pulled them apart, breaking them in two and stretching the bonds over incredible distances. Yet despite the forces of space and nature, these pieces of matter, these elements, were so connected,always found ways to come back to each other again. Sometimes they came together back within the Earth. And sometimes, this matter took on life.

 

_How to be brave? How can I love when I'm afraid_

 

Two girls lay side by side in the grass, looking up as puffy summer clouds passed by. Birds twittered above, catching the warm updrafts. The two girls were smiling, occasionally pointing at the clouds and making a comment about their shape. These comments were interspersed with silence. It was a comfortable silence, formed by years of friendship and sharing of secrets. It took very little to understand what the other was thinking.

One of the girls sat up at looked at the other. “Lydia?” she asked.

“Hmm?” Lydia opened her eyes, shielding them from the sun.

“What do you call a cow with no legs?” she asked her.

Lydia shrugged.

“Ground beef.”

The girl laughed, her shoulders trembling as she shook her head, “Katherine Kellet, you are terrible.”

Katherine smiled, laying back down. She glaced at Lydia through the corner of her eye, watching her laughter subside and she closed her eyes against the sun. Her long hair, normally tied up, was loose and splayed across the grass like a halo. Her tan skin looked lovely against the pale blue dress she was wearing, the sun giving it a golden glow. Katherine couldn’t help but sigh at the image.

“You doing well over there?” Lydia teased.

“Shush,” Katherine murmured, hiding her blush. She couldn’t let Lydia find out the reality behind that sigh, the reality behind a lot of her behavior lately.

She had always adored her. That much was obvious, they’d been best friends since they were children. They did everything together, went everywhere together. They had fought before, yes, but not for very long, and it always ended with them closer. She shared everything with Lydia. Except this. Except that at some point along the line, between games and stories and secrets, her very healthy, very normal admiration turned to something less platonic. When suddenly it wasn’t enough to be near her, she wanted, needed to be touching her, connected to her in whatever way possible. She would hold hugs as long as she dared, or yearn to reach her hand under the table to squeeze the other’s tight. Even now, lying here, she looked across at her peaceful face and resisted the urge to close the distance between their lips.

Sometimes she dared believe she was not alone in her torment. Times where they were both a little too close, and the silence when from comfortable to charged, an invisible electricity static in the air. She’d catch Lydia glancing at her, holding it a second longer than what is normal, before breaking away again. A tap on her shoulder, a touch on her back, a brush of her hand. She was probably imagining it, desperate as she was. But oh, how she dreamed.

Not that it mattered anyway. They were both young women, very valuable, and would probably be married off to the first suitable offer. They were destined to live a life of bearing children and housework. She was unsure of what relationships between two women were called, or how they were treated, but she didn’t think it was good. Katherine despised it. She wished she could only leave it all behind, and take Lydia with her.

“Lydia?” she asked again.

“Yes Katherine?” she answered.

Katherine hesitated. What had she hoped to say? “Never mind,” she mumbled.

“Lydia Makepiece, you’re going to be the death of me,” she thought.

 

_One step closer_

 

Levi buttoned his coat, standing in front of the mirror. He looked himself over in the reflection, sighing. “I don’t know if it suits me,” he said, slightly frustrated.

“You look good in everything Mister Munro,” responded the man standing behind him.

He shook his head with a smile. “Kenneth, I told you, please call me Levi.”

“But your father-,”

“My father’s not here, is he?” Levi questioned.

Kenneth hesitated. “No, he isn’t.”

Levi grinned, “Good,” he turned back to the mirror, “besides, Munro is my father. I’m not him.”

“You’re his eldest,” Kenneth mentioned.

“Don’t remind me,” he muttered. He turned to the dark haired man. “How do I look?”

“You look very fashionable,” he replied.

Levi’s gave him a look, “Kenneth, I’m not asking my servant. I’m asking my friend. The boy I ran through the manor with as child, the one I got in and out of trouble with. What do you think?”

Kenneth softened. “You look very dashing,” he answered. I’m sure the ladies of the party will be swooning.”

Levi rolled his eyes. “They’re swooning because my father is Patrick Munro, wealthiest gentleman of the region. It has nothing to do with me. Besides, I take no interest in them. They are beautiful enough, but they seem so fake.”

“I’m sure you will find one who will make a good wife,” Kenneth assured him.

“But that’s just it. I don’t want a “good wife”. I want to fall in love! Haven’t you ever wanted to fall in love, Kenneth?”

“Love is not in the cards for me,” he replied quietly.

“And why not?” Levi asked.

Kenneth glanced away. “My duty is to you and your family,” he answered deliberately. “I owe your family my life.”

Levi looked him over. The young servant was not much older than him. His father had taken him out of the orphanage to here at the manor, on the account he come and train to help serve the family. Without him he’d probably be left in the home until he was old enough to be kicked out. Levi remembered sneaking into the servants quarters to see the new boy, and as they got older, insisted to his father that Kenneth be his personal servant. Of course it was merely an excuse to see him more. Despite the number of people who came and went about the manor, Kenneth was his only real confident. He was the only person who saw him for who he really was, and not what everyone else thought him to be. And to see him so forlorn brought a terrible ache to his chest.

He stepped closer to the other man. Kenneth looked back at him, his eyes betraying the emotion behind his stoic face. “Kenneth,” he said gently, “You’re not saying everything. It’s me. You can trust me.”

“Exactly,” Kenneth whispered.

“What do you mean?” He lifted the man’s chin with his fingertips. “Tell me.”

Kenneth seemed to fight with himself, before throwing caution to the wind and surging forward to capture Levi’s lips in his. He pulled back almost immediately after, panic on his face. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have done that, that was completely out of line, I should- mmph,” he was caught by Levi wrapping his hand around the back of his neck and pulling him into another kiss.

The two pulled away after a long moment, catching their breath and staring at each other intensely. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” Kenneth murmured.

“Why? Because I have status and you don’t?”

“Because your father expects you to take on a wife and inherit his fortune. And I,” he gestured to himself, “do not fit the role.”

“To hell with my father. He can’t tell me what to do.”

“He could get rid of me.”

“I won’t let him,” Levi insisted.

“Really Levi?” Kenneth asked. “Do you think that anyone is going to accept this? You have a reputation. You have a title. By choosing this,” and here he gestured to the two of them, “you lose that. You will be ostracized. We could even lose our lives, if people are committed enough.”

Levi paced back and forth across the room. “I don’t care. I want to spend my life with you.” He looked back up at Kenneth. “We’ll lay low for awhile. Tell no one. Continue about our lives as normal. And when the right time comes, we’ll up and leave this place. Find ourselves our own place, somewhere where no one will ever bother us again.”

Kenneth processed this. “You realize this changes everything, right?”

Levi nodded, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Just then the family’s butler entered. “Your father is waiting, Mister Munro.”

Levi grabbed his hat, his gaze resting on Kenneth.

Kenneth regarded him solemnly. “Have a good evening, Mister Munro.”

Levi gave a small smile, and walked out the door.

 

_I have died every day waiting for you, darling, don't be afraid_

 

Leon ran through the field, rifle slung over his shoulders, dodging the debris littering the field. His denim blue uniform was covered in dirt and grass stains from diving to cover behind the hilly banks of the battlefield. His chest heaved from exertion, heart beating rapidly, blood pumping in his ears. The sound of his heart kept in time with his steps that pounded the ground, the beat to the awful song of gunfire and screams that he couldn’t block out not matter how hard he tried.

Leon choked back the thought of how many were left there, lying dead or dying. He couldn’t focus on that. He thought of his momma back home, all his brothers and sisters that had waved goodbye when he left. He was here for them. They were his purpose; he wouldn’t fail them.

He was running through the woods then, trees flying past him, looking for cover, any cover. Suddenly he found himself falling into a shallow ravine, feet stumbling to keep up with the momentum of his body. He made it to the bottom somehow without tripping, steadying himself. Out of the corner of his eye he catches movement, a blur of grey.

Leon, whipped around, realizing, reacting, bringing his rifle up to aim at the soldier. “He is the enemy!” his superior officer shouted in his head. He’s an enemy. He will kill him if Leon doesn’t kill first, he had to shoot, has to stop him-

But the soldier's startling violet eyes were filled with fear. He doesn’t look to be much older than him, only eighteen or nineteen. He put his hands up, cowering. “Please,” he begged, “please, don’t shoot me. I don’t want to be here, please, I don’t want to die.”

“You can’t trust him!” the voice in his head screamed. But the look on the boy’s face doesn’t seem like that of a cold blooded killer. And Leon had to take a moment, because- he’s just another boy. He’s not much older than him, not any less scared than him. That fact, at least, is obvious in the way he held himself, shoulders hunched over, disheveled clothing, bags under his eyes. His long hair was falling out of the ponytail he had it tied up in, sticking to his sweat beaded forehead. Leon got the feeling he’s seen more than a boy his age should see, that anyone should ever see.

He lowered the rifle. “One wrong move and you’re dead,” he warned him. The other boy nodded, slowly leaning his musket against a tree and leaving it. Leon kept hold of his, but slung it back over his shoulder.

“I don’t like being here,” the boy said, “I hate this fighting, hate this battle, hate this war. But my pappa signed me up, told me to fight for a cause. Some cause it is. He just did that so he wouldn’t have to fight himself.” He spat at the ground. “I’d surrender if I wasn’t so afraid of what it might bring.”

“You know what you’re standing for, right?” Leon asked him, “You’re standing for the side that says that some of us don’t deserve to be free, don’t deserve to live in some cases.”

“I know,” he said, “I despise it. I despise the color of my uniform, the flag on my sleeve. I would leave if I didn’t think my pappa’d do worse.”

“Who says you have to go back to him?”

“He’s all I have.”

“Boy, if that’s all you have, you’re better off with nothing,” Leon told him.

The boy seemed to stop at his words. “Where would I go then?” he responded finally.

“Go north,” Leon told him, “Find work. There is a better life than that of fear. Don’t die for a cause you despise. Save yourself.”

The boy nodded. Suddenly the two were startled by the sound of an exploding canon, hitting them with the reality that they were still in a battle, still supposed to be enemies.

“Go,” Leon told him, “get out of here while you can.”

“What about you?” he asked.

“This is still my fight. I’ll leave when it’s my time. Yours is now.”

The boy offered his hand. Despite not knowing him for more than a couple of minutes, Leon took it, saking it firmly. “Thank you,” the boy said. He grabbed his rifle from the tree, and disappeared up over the lip of the ravine.

Leon stared at where the boy had vanished. How strange, he mused, that he only talked to him for a few minutes, but it felt like he knew him somehow. He realized in all the fuss, he had never gotten the boy’s name, nor given his own. He hoped that perhaps, in the madness of it all, the boy would come out alive and safe.

 

_I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more_

 

Kay stepped into the smoky restaurant, overwhelmed by the sudden chatter. She pushed her way through the crowd, squeezing her way to the bar. The bartender came over to her as she plopped down in one of the few stools left.

“Whiskey, please,” she said to him.

“Hard day Miss Kinney?” he asked her.

“Kinda,” she looked around the bar, “Why’s it so packed tonight?”

“New star performing, Lola Mantei,” said the bartender, “She’s been rising in popularity recently.” He nodded toward the stage, “Here she comes now.”

Kay turned to look where the crowd had gathered. Up on stage stood a tall, gorgeous woman wearing a shimmery blue dress covered in fringe. Her hair had been cut into a short bob, held in place by a feather headband. A pair of deep blue pumps showed off the singer’s honey legs, and matching drop earrings drew attention to her neck. Kay’s heart skipped a beat.

She was breathtaking.

Trumpets burst out into the opening melody, and Lola took a hold of the mic, leaning into it. The words rolled off her tongue with ease, her voice rich, “Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it, let's do it, let's fall in love,” she removed the mic from its stand, walking over to the band as if singing to them. “In Spain, the best upper sets do it, Lithuanians and Letts do it, let's do it, let's fall in love.” She sauntered back over to the stand, looking right at Kay and winking. Kay felt her face grow hot.

“The Dutch in old Amsterdam do it, not to mention the Finns, folks in Siam do it - think of Siamese twins,” a twirl from Lola, “Some Argentines without means do it, people say in Boston even beans do it, let's do it, let's fall in love!”

Kay was transfixed. The singer seemed to glow, a ray of light in the darkness of the club. She couldn’t help the fluttering in her stomach, the tell tale thumping of her heart. The singer didn’t just sing perfectly- it was her entire persona, her flirtatiousness, her gusto. It felt almost familiar. Kay couldn’t help but be drawn to her. For the entire song, she couldn’t help but feel that perhaps she was the only one in the entire club, with Lola singing directly to her.

“Electric eels, I might add, do it, though it shocks 'em I know, why ask if shad do it? Garçon, de shad roe!” She gave a flick of her wrist, leading into the end of her song, “In shallow shoals, English soles do it, goldfish in the privacy of bowls do it, let's do it, let's fall in love!” She blew a kiss towards Kay, the trumpets wrapping up the piece. The audience cheered and whistled, a raucous round of applause. Kay stayed frozen in place, thankful the darkness hid the redness of her face. Her gaze remained stuck to the singer, who waved to the audience and gave a gracious bow. Her eyes followed Lola until she disappeared behind stage, taking a piece of Kay’s heart with her.

 

_And all along I believed I would find you, time has brought your heart to me_

 

Lance whooped as he sped the cart along, pushing off the tile floor with his feet, flying down the long aisles of the the store. Pidge cheered from inside the basket, grinning mischievously. There was almost no one left in the store. No one likes to go grocery shopping on a Tuesday night.

“Guys?” Hunk called from behind them, trying to keep up without running, “We really shouldn’t be doing this. Someone’s gonna get hurt.”

“Relax, Hunk,” Lance called back, “we’ll be fine, Besides, there’s no one around. We’re like the only ones here.”

“Yeah, you chicken?” Pidge teased from her seat.

“I am not chicken!” Hunk insisted. “I just think that you should be more careful. I have to be the responsible one here.”

“Well take a break from responsibility and come have some fun!” Lance insisted. He pushed Pidge forward, ignoring Hunk’s groans of, “Laaance,” behind him. He sped up once more, the cart swinging around corners and gliding down the aisles. Pidge was laughing and he was grinning, so he didn’t notice the other shopper until he had come around the corner and it was too late. He crashed into them, hurling them to the ground and sending their basket of groceries scattering.

Lance skidded to a halt, mind reeling. He scrambled to help the shopper up, who was pushing himself up from the ground. “Shit man, I’m so, so sorry,” he told him, taking his hand and pulling him up, “I was coming around the corner and I didn’t see you and I couldn’t stop, I-,” he realized he was looking directly at his face. Deep indigo eyes, sharp features, dark hair. Lance had to stop his jaw from dropping. Oh no, he’s cute. “I’m really, really sorry,” he continued hastily.

The boy groaned, but shook it off. “It’s okay, I’ll be fine.”

“The name’s Lance. Is there anything I can do, pay for your groceries or something?”

“Keith,” he replied, “and thank you, but you don’t have to do that.”

Lance looked Keith over. They seemed about the same age. He had a strange familiarity about him. “Do I know you from somewhere?” he asked.

Keith looked at him, “I don’t think so…,” he answered, but he seemed unsure.

“Another life perhaps,” Lance joked.

The boy rolled his eyes, but grinned. “Maybe.”

“Well, Keith,” he continued, giving him one of his more flirtatious smiles, “I still need to make it up to you. How about dinner?”

Keith blushed, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear. “Yeah, um, okay. That sounds like fun, actually.”

“Great!” Lance said enthusiastically. “How’s Friday?”

“Friday, uh, yeah, Friday works,” he stuttered.

“Here, let me get your phone number, I’ll text you,” Lance added. The two swapped contacts, Keith catching Lance staring as he punched in his phone number. Lance looked away, trying to hide the heat rising to his cheeks. Keith gave a small wave and a smile when he left, leaving Lance melting into his shoes.

“Uh, hello?” The sudden voice behind him startled him, and he realized Hunk and Pidge had been standing there silent the entire time. Pidge raised an eyebrow. “What just happened?”

Lance gazed back towards where Keith had disappeared. “I think I just asked out my soulmate.”

 

_I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more_

 

Keith fidgeted with the cuffs of his jacket, shifting his weight from foot to foot, glancing around the room as people with fancy hats, fitted jackets, and flowy dresses shuffled into their seats. Quiet piano music played in the background, its tranquility doing little to calm the jitters in his stomach. More than once he looked towards the altar, where Coran milled about, at one point giving a cheerful wave. Keith waved back, laughing a little despite himself.

“Ten minutes,” Shiro stated, coming up along his side. “You ready?”

“I’m nervous as hell if that’s what you’re asking,” Keith answered.

“Are you having second thoughts?” Shiro asked him.

“No!” Keith insisted, “no way, it’s just- what if I mess up? What if I forget my vows? What if I drop the rings? What if we get to the end and Lance doesn’t say ‘I do’? What if-”

“-Keith, Keith buddy, calm down,” Shiro reassured him. “It’s going to be okay. You’ll be absolutely fine. You’ve practiced your vows a hundred times, remember? Even I have it memorized by now.” Keith laughed at that. “If you drop the rings you just pick them up again. And Lance isn’t going to back out. You’ve been together for five years. I’ve never seen someone make you this happy before. And you make him happy. Not to mention he’s been planning this wedding for months.” Shiro put a hand on his shoulder, “Besides, as your best man and brother, I’ll be there with you the entire time. You’ll do great.”

“Places everyone!” Coran shouted from the altar.

“Here goes nothing,” Keith whispered to himself. He stepped up onto the altar, taking his place adjacent from Coran, Shiro just off to his side. Matt joined them a moment later, whispering something to Shiro which caused the latter to roll his eyes. The piano’s volume increased as the people in the pews went quiet. Keith could see Lance’s family in the front row, parents and siblings and abuela smiling warmly at him. One of Lance’s nieces was the flower girl, and her brother the ring bearer, who toddled down the aisle in his dress shoes. They were followed by Hunk, Pidge, and Allura, who took their place across the altar. And then…

Keith’s heart skipped a beat.

Lance stood at the door to the church, classy black tux showing off his elegantly lithe stature, deep blue tie matching his eyes, a subtle hint of makeup highlight the glow of his face, the brightness of his smile. He was absolutely beautiful.

“Your mouth is open,” Shiro whispered to him. Keith immediately closed it, sure that he would tease him about it later. Keith couldn’t help it if his husband to very soon be was so gorgeous.

Lance stepped up the the altar. “Hi,” he whispered, almost giddily. Keith grinned goofily back at him.

“Welcome, family and friends,” Coran started, “On this day we celebrate the union of Keith Kogane, and Lance McClain. We will now hear a few words from each of the grooms. Lance?”

“Thank you Coran,” Lance replied, “I want to start by reading this poem, Sonnet XVII, by Pablo Neruda.” He fumbled in his pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper, opened it, and began to read. “I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way than this: where I do not exist, nor you, so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.” He folded the paper closed and put it away. “I’ve felt that so much of my life has been wandering. Of looking for who I am, who I want to be. What did I want in life?

“And then, one day, I crashed into your life, quite literally,” cue chuckles from the crowd, “but in many ways, you crashed into mine. And suddenly, I had a purpose. I had meaning. And through it all, through good times and bad, through sleepless nights and the arguments and the making up, I somehow knew we would get through all of it. Loving you has made me a better man, and I am eternally grateful. I am so blessed to wake up beside you every day, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of me life with you. You complete me.” Lance smiled wide, Keith’s heart stuttering in his chest. Even after all these years, Lance managed to render him speechless.

“Okay, um, guess it’s my turn then,” Keith began, “Alright. Lance, I’ve known you for years, but it feels like even longer. When we met we joked that we knew each other from another life. We laughed, but, there was a comfortable familiarity, and in that moment, I could’ve sworn that I had known you for centuries.

“I don’t really know if I believe in a god, or higher being, or nothing at all. But I do believe in the idea of soulmates, of putting faith in something stronger than you can understand. And I know, deep in my heart, that we have always been intertwined. We are tied together in a way that can’t be explained by God or science alone. We’re all made up of the same cosmic dust, and I am so, so grateful that you crashed into my life.”

Lance’s eyes watered. Keith gave him a loving smile in return. His heart rate had slowed, his breathing evened. All of his nerves had melted away. All he knew was this moment with the love of his life, his soulmate.

Coran cleared his throat, wiping away a few of his own tears. “Keith, do you take Lance to be your husband?”

“I do,” Keith breathed.

“And do you, Lance, take Keith to be your husband?”

“I do, I do a hundred times over,” Lance squealed.

Coran handed the pair their rings, silver bands engraved with sapphire and ruby. The two couldn’t help but giggle as they slid the bands on each other’s fingers, hands intertwining, held tight.

“I wish you great joy on this day and on the days to come. You may now seal your union with a kiss.”

Without another second to spare, Lance pulled him forward, wrapping his arms around Keith and bringing his lips to his. Keith let the sound of applause and music and everything melt away. It was just him and Lance. It was all he needed. He was home.

 

_One step closer_   
_One step closer_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. Kudos and comments are appreciated. Both detailed reviews and incoherent screaming are welcome.
> 
> Follow me on tumblr: [@klance-convert](http://klance-convert.tumblr.com/)


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